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Top Electric Vehicle Friendly Cities In The US

American cities are starting to take electric vehicles seriously. Charging stations and infrastructure are popping up all over the place, sometimes in unexpected locales. Chances are you don’t think about the sprawling metropolises of Dallas or Atlanta, or even the country music capital of the world, Nashville, Tenn. Some of the most unexpected cities top the list of EV (electric vehicle)-friendly places to live.

Portland

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Offering more than 130 charging stations for its 603,000 residents, Portland tops the list, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Your chances of finding plenty of power in the Portland area are pretty good. According to ClimateCentral.org, Oregon is the most the most friendly state for electric vehicles. This isn’t true of all areas, though; sometimes it’s actually greener to opt for a hybrid, because the coal burning used to produce electricity can produce more carbon than the gasoline itself.

Dallas

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You might not expect the heart of Texas to be home to one of the most EV-friendly cities in the States. Dallas ranks second on the list because of the number of charging centers. It comes just behind Portland, with about 200 charging stations serving residents in the DFW metro area. You might need them if you live in the DFW metroplex, because morning commutes are notoriously long in this area, depending on where you live and work.

Nashville

Photo by Kaldari via Wikimedia Commons

The capital of country music is also a top-ten capital of EV-friendliness. According to the Department of Energy, driving a car in the Tennessee costs the equivalent of about $1.03 per gallon. Much of this is because of the nearby Nissan factory in Smyrna, where the company produces many of its all-electric Leaf vehicles.

San Francisco Bay Area

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The San Francisco Bay area is another EV-friendly city. In September 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed several laws encouraging the use of electric vehicles. The new laws allow all-electric vehicles to use the faster-moving carpool lanes. They also encourage the development of easily-accessible charging stations and require commercial and residential building standards to include EV charging infrastructure in multifamily and commercial units.

An Up-And-Coming Option: Atlanta

Photo by J. Miers via Wikimedia Commons

Other major cities like Atlanta are taking steps toward becoming more EV-friendly. According to CleanCitiesAtlanta.net, hundreds of electric vehicles have already hit metro streets. The state capitol building added EV charging stations in October 2013.

Lieutenant Governor, Casey Cagle, drives an electric Nissan Leaf, and was present at the dedication ceremony for the charging stations. He hopes to see even more growth in city planning and sustainability in the next few years, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Talk to a reputable car dealer to help you figure out which type of vehicle would be best for the environment and for your family; DriveTime in Atlanta could help you make the most environmentally-friendly choice, as could similar dealers across the States.